OOOPS This is from July 29, 2002

I've been on the road, having adventures as I normally do.

That's what I call experiencing life--having adventures. It sure seems to perk things up anyway.

My particular recent adventure involved going to California. For those who live there, I sure hope they appreciate the view, because here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area, views are in very short supply. Perhaps it is a case of micro view versus macro view. Here, one can find scenic spots that are very small and contained. There one can see BIG views for miles and miles.

I really appreciate the big view variety as I get to see them so rarely. There were plenty of the smaller variety there as well. It seems like EVERYTHING is scenic in the areas that I wandered to.

I talk to people that I know around here and they talk of moving away, just because they want some massive beauty to feed their souls. I can dig it.

My little view, my most constant view is the scene outside the window here by my computer. Through the mini-blinds I can see my Camry, and three mailboxes, 3 large live oak trees, a fruitless mulberry and parts of three houses across the street. OH, bushes, I can see the bushes in front of the window also. I think they are holly, but I've never seen berries so I'm not sure. The folks across the street have a concrete birdbath, with monkey grass around the base. I never see any birds in it. Sometimes I see squirrels, but they are pretty boring unless they are doing a suicide run under one's moving car.

Wednesday night, I had dinner at Mission Ranch in Carmel. It's owned by Clint Eastwood. We actually thought we saw Clint himself, but it was just a very good lookalike. Then I thought I saw Paul Newman, but I was just hallucinating at that point.

The view was just amazing. The veranda looks out over a long field that goes all the way to the ocean. I saw six hawks flying, actually they seemed bigger than hawks, which is scary for me. There were sheep in the field in a picturesque little flock, and mountains rose and fell as one's point of view shifts. The sun went down as we sat there and it was just a lovely sight. The prime rib was pretty tasty as well, although the folks who ate the scallops said they were pretty grim.

I stayed in Monterey which is more food for the soul. I went to the Monterey Aquarium
which is the most amazing one I've ever seen. I like that it is not the least pretentious, it only displays sea life from that area, but it is on such a grand scale and so well done.

More Later...